911 Knoxville Intruder
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Date: December 30, 1991 Story In 1989, Stephen and Carol Tokay said goodbye to the stress of living in the big city and moved to the peaceful countryside outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. In the two years they had been living there, most days began the same way until the morning of December 30, 1991. Stephen woke up for work at 7am. Carol always went to bed at 2 or 3am, so she woke up later. He said goodbye to her for the day, admitting that there was some crime everywhere, but they felt safer living in a rural area. Suddenly, after Stephen left, a mysterious car pulled into the driveway. Carol was still sleeping when she began to hear knocking on her door; then it was busted down and two men came in the house. After that, she ran into the master bathroom and called 911 to report that her house had been broken into by someone unknown, and her call was taken by Knox County call processor Joyce Estes. Joyce said that they got many calls where someone thinks someone has broken into their house, but it turns out to be a pet or family member. But when Carol said the door had been busted open, Joyce knew it was a real break-in. Sheriff's Deputy Terry Montgomery was closest to the scene when he was dispatched, but was eight miles away, and said it could be very frustrating to have to travel from one side of his area to the other. Plus, it was always in the back of a law enforcement officer's mind that someone may be hurt and the police may not get to the scene in time. The bathroom door did not have a lock, and Carol wanted to go out and see who the intruder was, but Joyce told her to stay put until Montgomery arrived. She peered out the bedroom door, but could not see anyone, so she went back into the bathroom and stayed on the phone. Still unaware exactly what they were dealing with, all Joyce could think of was to keep Carol hidden and quiet. The intruders had stepped out to the back porch, but came back inside and up the stairs. Carol suddenly yelled, "Who is it?", which frightened Joyce, because the suspects probably now knew Carol was there. Carol heard the intruders attempting to unlock the bedroom door and it was kicked open. She heard them going through the dresser, and Joyce was now more scared because the situation had gotten more dangerous now that the suspects were in the bedroom. When Montgomery heard on his radio that the suspects were now in the bedroom, he got scared and now thought they were going to either kill or kidnap Carol before he arrived. Carol was trying to be as quiet as she could, knowing that since she had yelled, the intruders probably knew where she was now. Montgomery was carefully reading the numbers on each mailbox, and before he knew it, he had reached the scene. If the suspects happened to be looking out the window, they would have seen him pulling up. When Carol heard him open his door, she thought the suspects were leaving. When she looked out the window, she saw the patrol car and felt relieved. Montgomery went to the suspects' car, took the keys out of the ignition, and threw them away. Then he grabbed his gun and went behind the Tokays' camper. Then Carol heard him yell for the suspects to come outside. He was nervous and shaking, thinking that he and the suspects were gonna have a shootout. Then Joyce heard over the radio that the suspects got out of the house. Montgomery yelled "Halt Police!" He told them to get their hands up, but they ignored him and ran off. He took off after them on foot and Carol was relieved when she knew this was happening. Montgomery chased the suspects up the road and kept telling them to stop, but they ignored him, and he was at the point of shooting them. When he was close enough to catch one, he knocked him to the ground with a walkie talkie and apprehended him, but the other was too far ahead to catch. When Joyce knew that one of them was in custody, it was very relieving, and she told Carol it was safe to go out. They started laughing, which was unusual on a call like that. When Carol saw Montgomery, he looked like a knight in shining armor. She was still shaken, went outside, and hugged him, because it meant so much to her that he was there. She called him her hero, which was his favorite part of it, because it is why a law enforcement officer does the job. For two weeks after the incident, Carol's hands would randomly shake, since she was so traumatized by it, but she knew she could take care of dangerous situations, which a lot of people don't know unless it happens to them. Stephen realized that the situation could have turned out much worse, and couldn't thank Montgomery enough. When Carol heard the door get busted open, she felt very alone and helpless. But as soon as she called for help, it felt like Joyce was there with her. She felt wonderful and safe knowing that people had tried so hard to help her. The second suspect turned himself in and they both pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary. After the incident, the Tokays installed better locks on their doors and got a watch dog named Rocky. Carol loved the house so much and decided she wouldn't let the break-in change that. It was a good old, historic, small house, and she wouldn't let one small problem change it. Category:1991 Category:Tennessee Category:Crimes